I Don't Want To Close My Eyes
by Wolves-Foxes
Summary: Briar's dreams regarding her destiny stopped when Cerise became a big part of her life, but a single nightmare can freeze a heart with fear. Rating for several references to death.


_Speeches, people wearing nothing but black, dull clothing, flower crowns and coffins made of glass..._

"NO!" Briar Beauty's piercing scream was heard all over the dorm, and perhaps the neighboring ones too.

Another nightmare. Another taste of how it would be once upon a time she fulfilled her destiny. Tears cascaded down her cheeks as her body trembled with sobs, her cries carrying the same word, "No, no...!"

Her roommate, Ashlynn Ella woke up startled and washing away any trace of sleep she ran to the side of Sleeping Beauty's daughter, quickly enveloping the crying maiden in a comforting embrace. It was not the first time Briar had a bad dream about the future and what it beheld, but the shoe-loving girl had never seen her friend in such a bad condition. She looked truly _devastated_.

Ashlynn started to rub soothing circles on the other's back and whispering comforting words, "Shh... Briar, it's okay. You're here, you're awake now..." _Awake_. A word that held the weight of the world in this moment.

Briar clinged onto her roommate, still agobiated. In between sobs, Ashlynn could only comprehend the girl requested the presence of someone. Making her best try at turning with the other girl over her, she clapped the lights on and spotted her MirrorPhone resting on the nightstand beside her bed. No way she could get it the brunette holding onto her for dear life. Ashlynn searched for Briar's Mirrorphone and found it under the pillow.

Quickly she unlocked it (the girl had known Briar's password for ages) and sped-dialled Apple. The shoes lover could barely hear anything, so she set the speakers and let the device ring. She knew Apple's sleep was somewhat light, so her hopes of her picking up the call were decently high.

 **(MEANWHILE IN APPLE AND RAVEN'S DORM)**

Two bodies laid under the magenta-colored sheets of Raven's bed, huddled closely together.

Raven and Apple rested comfortably in each other's arms, enjoying their unconsciousness until the insistent sound of Apple's MirrorPhone broke the silence. Apple perked up almost immediately, looking frantically for the ringing device while prompting the Witch to get up, "Raven, sweetie, wake up. No one calls me at this hour unless it is an emergency."

"Mistaken number, then..." the purple-haired girl muttered groggily, sleep lacing her words. However, a few more rings and Raven had enough. She simply lifted a pillow and found her Princess' phone. With some difficulty she read, "It's Briar, you better pick up."

The girl handed over the MirrorPhone to her other half, now with some sense of urgency. She knew Briar well enough to tell she would never call anyone at such ungodly hours. Much less for something trivial.

Apple finally answered the call and seeing the expression of utter concern her girlfriend had, she put the speakers. As soon as this was done, the sounds of loud sobs filled the room, taking away any remnant of sleep the White-Queen lovers could still have, "Briar! Briar, what is it? Speak to me!" Apple's voice laced pure worry; she HAD to know what was happening to her Best Friend Forever After at once!

" _Apple it's me, Ashlynn. Briar had a nightmare. A fairy bad one. She hasn't stopped crying and I need you here NOW. Bring Cerise and for Ancestors' sake Apple, hurry up!"_ the worried statement came along the sound produced by an ended call.

At that both girls bolted up, putting on their robes and slippers as fast as their bodies would allow them being awaken so abruptly. Raven unplugged her own MirrorPhone and dialled Cerise's number. Two rings and the wolf-child picked up, " _Raven? What is it? Something wrong?"_ Cerise's words sounded agitated, with the briefest interruptions caused by her steps. Raven assumed her friend was running as usual.

With a deep breath, the Rebel leader eyed her Princess, who returned her gaze along with a single encouraging nod. Some would say this perhaps was an exaggerate gesture, but truth was that even when Cerise was fairly good at keeping her wolf instincts at bay, she could turn very unpredictable if any of her loved ones were in peril or upset to a certain level. Apple remembered the time Hopper got a little too intense for Briar's (and Cerise's) liking, which resulted in Daring, Sparrow and even Alistair having to hold her in order to get away the daughter of Red Riding Hood from beating up the boy. Therefore, it was better to simply avoid getting onto her nerves.

"Cerise, Briar needs us. She's got a bad nightmare and Ashlynn requires us to calm her down." the purple Witch spoke, receiving a gasp and a "See you there" in response before hanging up, grabbing her behalf's hand and getting out their dorm. The comfy rug muted their running, not that they cared being catched after curfew anymore.

 **(BACK AT BRIAR AND ASHLYNN'S ROOM)**

To say Ashlynn felt bad was an understatement. She felt _horrible_.

Out of all the destinies with painful backgrounds and dark origins, Briar's was maybe the most sacrificing one. She would lose _one hundred years_ of moments, she would have to marry a perfect stranger with a large age difference, Briar would lose everybody she loved. From her parents to her friends and even her girlfriend would be dead when she woke up from her slumber, only having the descendants of the people who made a part of her life and books to tell her everything that had happened in a whole century.

 _It wasn't fair._

Ashlynn held her own tears back and averted her sight to the windows, being surprised by a hand gripping the windowsill, then another, revealing none other than Cerise Hood. They made brief contact before Cerise's eyes lied on the crying form of Briar, golden orbs flashing stormy grey.

"Briar..." the wolf-child said, making said girl's head shot up and stare with teary eyes, a huge heart-break concealed in them.

Ashlynn untangled herself from Briar to give the two some space without much effort, since Sleeping Beauty's daughter let go of her easily. As Cerise approached, the shoes lover patted her shoulder before going to attend the insistent door knocking of who she guessed were Apple and Raven.

Cerise enveloped her girlfriend in a tight hug and covered her with her cloak, "Everything's okay... Shh..." she soothed, even when voice came out slightly broken for looking at her girl in this state.

"Cerise... Just-" Briar's grip on Cerise tightened as she broke down again, "-don't let go of me." the brunette clad in pink sobbed, ignoring the creek of the door opening.

"Oh my Fairy Godmother, Briar!" Apple gasped, just about to sprint towards her BFFA until two hands grabbed her by her shoulders gently, yet firmly.

"Sweetie, I think it's better to leave Cerise and Briar alone for a little bit. Briar needs it." Raven reasoned, seeing how even Cerise, one of the most collected persons she knew was having a tough time battling not to fail at consoling Briar.

"I agree, Apple. She hasn't stopped crying ever since she started. We can wait." Ashlynn inquired, nodding in direction of a couch in the corner of the dorm, sighing.

Apple felt bad, like it was her fault in some way. All of their stories had their tragedies, some bigger than others; but witnessing this kind of grieve over destiny was too much. She recalled what Cupid had told her during a conversation not too long ago: every once in a while, Blondie had nightmares about being chased by bears and _not having where to run to save herself from being teared apart alive_.

At that time Apple didn't know how to react. The blonde never experienced that kind of dreams, curiously, so she did the only logical thing that came to her mind and had a heart-to-heart with her other Best Friend Forever After. It had ended well, Blondie having her fears quenched and Apple relieving her guilt. It was different now. Blondie didn't cry hopelessly nor nearly strangled Cupid during her turbulent sleep; Briar did an it was killing her to see her like this, so different from the cheery, party girl she is.

"Oh Grimm." With tears pooling in her clear blue eyes, Apple buried herself in the crook of Raven's neck and sobbed lightly. Not wasting any time Raven hugged her and attempted to calm her down by rocking from side to side.

Ashlynn gasped, not expecting this from Apple White. However, she couldn't hold back anymore and her frame visibly shaked with whimpering. The purple-haired witch noticed and extended one arm, inviting Cinderella's daughter to join the hug and so the girl did.

The three stood there, two maidens too touched by her friend's sadness and a witch with a giant lump in her throat trying to remain calm. _At least one person has to be_ , she thought.

On their side, Cerise still held Briar and kept trying to get the other to calm down just enough to tell her what had transcurred in such a troublesome nightmare.

According to Apple and Briar herself, those dreams had stopped when she and the sleepy Princess started dating. Apparently the female werewolf gave the girl some peace. But, it was also during their time as couple that she had this faithful event. Was she the reason it became so grave?

"I can't do it."

Briar's words interrupted Cerise's thoughts, "Do what? Pledge your destiny?" she asked, mildly confused. She didn't notice when Briar stopped crying and just clung on to her.

"I can't comply with the duty of Sleeping Beauty. I don't want to lose all what I have, all what I love, I don't want to lose _you_ , Cerise." Briar stated, "My heart broke when I realized you were no longer there in my dream, but when I looked at my hands... Then I woke up. It was too much for me, too painful to even imagine..."

Cerise's expression was a mix of concern and pity, "What were you holding?" she questioned a bit uneasy. When your girlfriend says you were no longer in a dream where _everybody else had died_ , it can't be good.

A long silence preceded Sleeping Beauty daughter's response, before the girl finally spoke, "Your hood."

It was Cerise's turn now to try to swallow the lump in her own throat. Aside from being what kept her secret from being discovered, she loved her hood. It symbolized her family, her roots, and even if she wasn't too pleased with the roll her heritage offered, it was still a part of who she was. Werewolves could live a little longer than average humans, but none could live a whole century unless they sold their soul to a witch or something of the sort. But more important than all that was the fact she didn't like at all how it sounded. Life without Briar by her side... No. There was no way it was happening.

Managing to dissolve her inner turmoil, Cerise grabbed Briar by the shoulders "Briar," she began as she pushed lightly, just enough to make eye contact, "I don't care if this is reckless and I don't care what the Headmaster says, but I'm not letting that happen. Absolutely not. I won't see you prickle your finger and fall asleep out of my reach, and then die knowing you'll wake up scared and broken. I want to be there, I want _you_ to be there. Awake, enjoying life as it is."

By the time Cerise spoke, Apple and Ashlynn had gathered enough composure and were listening attently along with Raven, who still had her arms around the two maidens, but her eyes trained on the pair sitting on Briar's bed.

"If Fairy Tales vanished like Headmaster Grimm says," she lifted her hand in direction of the standing girls by the door, "Raven would be long since gone and so would be Apple, but they're here. With us, with you. I love you more than I ever after imagined possible and there's nothing I wouldn't do to see you happy. My heart breaks in pieces when I see your smile fall down after you'd fell asleep in some random place, and to think I'm supposed to lose you for the sake of a lie... Makes me sick."

Briar's senses were focused only on Cerise (except for that little fraction when she noticed Raven and Apple with matching expressions of concern, and Ashlynn with her ever after kind and understanding smile looking at them), her mind seemed a bit foggy and her heart rate skyrocketed. Her fears were being quenched one by one, but that last worry kept dancing in her thoughts. What would her parents think of her letting the tale of Sleeping Beauty cease to continue?

As if reading her thoughts, Cerise spoke once more, "You don't have to sleep one hundred years, and Sleeping Beauty doesn't have to stop, Briar."

"It's true it doesn't," Raven interjected, disentangling herself from between her girlfriend and friend and stepping forward, "the Rebel cause stands for rewriting our destinies and have our own Happily Ever After, even when it's not the one our stories have promised in the past at the expense of our suffering. Briar, you don't have to ditch the whole page. You can simply erase those lines and make your own happy ending."

"That's right... I... Could just spend a few minutes asleep, like when it happens here... And I wouldn't lose anyone!" Sleeping Beauty's daughter's hexcited claims brought wide smiles to the other four girls in the room. Briar's sight averted to Apple for a moment and much to her surprise, along with her smile the girl nodded encouragingly.

"Cerise, do I need to say you'll be the one to wake me up?" Briar asked, back to her usual demeanor.

"Of course, milady. I doubt there would be anyone else." Cerise's hand cupped Briar's left cheek and gave her girl a short, yet meaningful kiss on the lips. Once their mouths parted, a thought hit Cerise like a lightningbolt, "I don't feel bad for the guy who's gonna be born in about 50 years or something. In fact, I hope I can brag I stole the Princess!"

"Cerise!" Briar broke in laughter, and so did Raven, while Ashlynn and Apple were having a tough time containing their laughs.

When the giggles subdued, Apple and Raven hugged Briar, who squeezed them back, "Thank you for being here, girls. And thanks Raven, for providing the perfect solution." she held Raven's arm for a little longer while the witch returned her thanks with a wink and knowing smile.

"Hey, what about we have a sleepover?" proposed Ashlynn. Cerise nodded enthusiastically and offered to pick up her and Raven and Apple's stuff from their rooms.

Apple yawned and rubbed her eyes, only to see Raven and Ashlynn share a sympathetic look. Averting her eyes, she understood.

Briar fell asleep again.

"Well, Briar will have a _nice_ awakening." commented Raven before a flying pillow almost hit her.


End file.
